WNT on TV: Players Return from International Break as NWSL Resumes on Saturday

WNTJun 16, 2017

Following last week’s FIFA break that saw the U.S. WNT earn 1-0 wins against Sweden and Norway, the U.S. players returned to their club teams on Monday, June 12 to resume training for the weekend matches. Midfielder Carli Lloyd, who is back in Houston after a five-month stay with Manchester City, is set to make her 2017 Dash debut tomorrow. Forward Alex Morgan is also back with the Orlando Pride but her 2017 NWSL debut will have to wait a bit longer as she continues rehabbing a hamstring injury she suffered while playing with Olympique Lyonnais in France.

Here are this weekend’s matchups as well as the U.S. Women’s National Team players to keep an eye on:

NWSL

Saturday, June 17

Chicago Red Stars vs. Washington Spirit – 3:30 p.m. ET (TV: Lifetime Game of the Week)Back in the USA after a terrific performance against Norway on June 11, Christen Press will captain Alyssa Naeher, Julie Ertz, Casey Short and the Chicago Red Stars against the Washington Spirit on Saturday in the Lifetime Game of the Week, as Chicago hopes to continue its winning streak. The Spirit’s Mallory Pugh suffered an ankle injury during pregame warm-ups on June 11 against Norway and will miss this weekend’s match.

Chicago has won only one of its last nine meetings with Washington, including playoffs (8L-1D). It did win their most recent matchup -- at home – a 3-1 win on Sept. 24 of last season. The Red Stars are unbeaten in their last six home games, dating back to last season (5W-1D). Washington has not won a game on the road in its last five matches, dating back to last season.

North Carolina Courage vs. Boston Breakers – 7:30 p.m. ET (go90.com)
The No. 1 team in the league will welcome the Boston Breakers on Saturday evening, hoping to earn another three points at home and solidify its place atop the standings. Samantha Mewis and Abby Dahlkemper are expected to start for the Courage. Lynn Williams (Courage; ankle sprain) is a game-time decision while Rose Lavelle (Breakers; hamstring) will be sidelined due to injury.

North Carolina has won seven of the last eight meetings against Boston (1D), outscoring the Breakers 27-7 over that period. North Carolina won the most recent meeting 1-0 earlier this season in Boston, and has kept a clean sheet in their last two meetings. North Carolina is 4W-1L-0D at home this season. The club’s four home wins is tied for the most in the league this season.

FC Kansas City vs. Seattle Reign – 8 p.m. ET (go90.com)
Becky Sauerbrunn, Sydney Leroux and FC Kansas City will host Megan Rapinoe and the Seattle Reign at home on Saturday in an important game for both sides. Currently sitting in the middle of the standings, Seattle (fifth) and Kansas City (sixth) will look for those three valuable points to continue steady climbs towards the top four and playoff contention.

Seattle has only lost one of the last seven regular season matchups with FC Kansas City, dating back to the start of the 2014 season (3W-3D). However, Kansas City has beaten Seattle twice in the NWSL Championship game since the start of 2014. Becky Sauerbrunn leads the league this season in clearances with 53.

Houston Dash vs. Orlando Pride – 8:30 p.m. ET (go90.com)After a five-month stay in Manchester City, Carli Lloyd is expected to make her season debut for the Dash this weekend. Lloyd, alongside Morgan Brian, will welcome Ali Krieger and the Orlando Pride into town as they look for an important three points that would help them move up from last place in the standings. The Pride also got back a familiar face this week as Alex Morgan returned to her NWSL club following her stint in France with Olympique Lyonnais. Morgan will not play this weekend as she continues rehabbing a hamstring injury she suffered in France. Ashlyn Harris will also be sidelined due as she continues to recover from a quad injury.

Orlando has won three of its four all-time meetings against Houston, although the Dash won the most recent meeting, 4-2 in Houston. Houston has won just one home game this season (2L) and three of its last eight home games (4L-1D). The Dash’s three home goals are the fewest in the league this season. Orlando has yet to win on the road this season (3L-2D).

Portland has won four of the last six meetings against Sky Blue (2L), including three straight in which they have outscored the New Jersey club, 7-2. Portland have lost just one of their last 17 home games in the regular season (13W-3D). In the Thorns’ four home games this season, they have three clean sheets, tied for the most in the league.

Watch NWSL on go90.com

To watch live in the USA on a mobile device or tablet, download the go90 app (free) via the App Store or Google Play. Users with go90 version 3.0 and later can cast live games from the go90 app to Airplay and Chromecast. No registration or authentication is required. Fans in the USA can also watch matches on their laptops via go90.com and nwslsoccer.com.

Matches will also be streamed live via nwslsoccer.com or the NWSL app.

The complete 2017 NWSL schedule is here. For more in-depth information and the latest news and updates about the NWSL schedule, matchups, records, etc., visit: www.nwslsoccer.com and follow them on Twitter @NWSL.